The present invention relates to battery-driven equipment mainly used for portable electronic equipment such as a mobile phone and PIM (personal information management) equipment and particularly concerns a holding structure of the equipment and an electronic connection structure.
Some kinds of battery-driven equipment, particularly some kinds of portable information equipment such as a mobile phone and PIM (personal information management) equipment have the function of transmitting information by body sensing vibration. When a vibrator is attached in such battery-driven equipment, a structure for attaching the vibrator via an elastic body to protect the vibrator from falling impact of the battery-driven equipment.
FIGS. 9A and 9B show an example of such a structure of equipment disclosed in JP2000-78790A. In FIGS. 9A and 9B, a vibrator vibrated by an eccentric weight 82 comprises feeding terminals 84, which protrudes from a case 83 of a motor 81 and is electrically connected to feeding lands 93 on an attaching plate 91 of battery-driven equipment, and an elastic body 85 for covering the case 83, and the vibrator forms an elastic pressing body 86 which can be pressed and deformed on a part of the elastic body 85. Further, when the vibrator is attached into the battery-driven equipment, the elastic pressing body 86 presses the feeding terminals 84 onto the feeding lands 93 by pressing the case to combine the elastic force of the feeding terminals 84 and the pressing force of the elastic pressing body 86 and have compatibility of holding and electric connection of the vibrator.
A smaller and thinner battery-driven equipment has grown in demand in recent years. Further, smaller and thinner vibrators have grown in demand accordingly. Additionally, a vibrating amount-equal to that of the conventional vibrator has been demanded. Thus, not only reduction in a thickness of a vibrator but also reduction of a spaced required for holding the vibrator and making electric connection have been considerably important.
However, in the above conventional holding structure, the feeding terminals 84 pressed onto the feeding lands 93 of the battery-driven equipment by the elastic pressing body 86 has an end fixed to the bottom of the case 83 and the other end not making connection, and the feeding terminals 84 protrude between the attaching plate 91 and the case 83. Hence, the dimension of the vibrator in the diameter direction is increased, thereby preventing formation of slim equipment.
The present invention is achieved to solve the above-described problem. Namely, a battery-driven equipment is provided which can achieve a slim body while improving workability of installation and positively holding a vibrator to increase electrical and mechanical reliability when the vibrator is installed into a housing of the battery-driven equipment.
In order to solve the above-described problem, in the battery-driven equipment of the present invention, feeding terminals are caused to protrude rearward of the vibrator from the bottom of a case in such a manner as to electrically connect the feeding terminals of the vibrator and feeding lands of the battery-driven equipment within a height range in the diameter direction of the vibrator, and the feeding terminals protrude within a height range in the diameter direction of the vibrator while tilting with respect to an extending line of the rotation axis of a motor. Further, the battery-driven equipment is configured in such a way that at least a part of the case of the motor is covered with an elastic body, the motor constituting the vibrator, the vibrator covered with an elastic body is sandwiched and fixed between the bottom and top surfaces of the housing, an elastic pressing body is placed between the feeding terminals and the bottom surface of the housing, and pressing force which is caused by elastic deformation of the feeding terminals and applied to feeding lands of the battery-driven equipment is combined with pressing force caused by elastic deformation of the elastic pressing body.
This configuration allows a battery-driven equipment to have a slim body.
A first invention comprises a motor, an eccentric weight attached to the rotation axis of the motor, a vibrator having feeding terminals of plate springs which protrude from a case of the motor and are electrically connected to feeding lands of battery-driven equipment, a housing for storing and fixing therein the vibrator, and a substrate having the feeding lands, the vibrator being interposed and fixed between the bottom of the housing and the top surface of the housing, in which the feeding terminals of the vibrator and the feeding lands of the battery-driven equipment are electrically connected within a height range in the diameter direction of the vibration, and the feeding terminals of the vibrator and the feeding lands are electrically connected at a position not permitting superimposition of the vibrator in the diameter direction.
A second invention is the battery-driven equipment according to the first invention, in which the feeding terminals of the vibrator are caused to protrude rearward of the vibrator from the bottom of the case of the motor and protrude within the height range in the diameter direction of the vibrator while tilting with respect to an extending line of the rotation axis of the motor. The feeding terminals are formed to protrude around from the outer circumference of the case while tilting with respect to the substrate of the battery-driven equipment, so that it is possible to increase a spring length of the feeding terminals, thereby stabilizing a spring pressure and lowering a resonance frequency.
A third invention is the battery-driven equipment according to the first and second inventions, in which at least a part of the case of the motor is covered with an elastic body, the motor constituting the vibrator, and the vibrator covered with the elastic body is interposed and fixed between the bottom of the housing and the top surface of the housing. The vibrator can be protected from falling impact or the like of the battery-driven equipment.
A fourth invention is the battery-driven equipment according to the third invention, in which the elastic body is a synthetic rubber. It is possible to readily obtain a feeding terminal pressing structure having an insulating property and a damping vibration property and to simultaneously obtain large extending deformation on the elastic body.
A fifth invention is the battery-driven equipment according to the first to fourth inventions, in which an elastic pressing body is placed between the feeding terminals of the vibrator and the bottom of the housing and pressing force which is caused by elastic deformation of the feeding terminals and applied to the feeding lands of the battery-driven equipment is combined with pressing force caused by elastic deformation of the elastic pressing body. The feeding terminals of the vibrator and the feeding lands can be brought into contact with each other with stability.
A sixth invention is the battery-driven equipment according to the fifth invention, in which the elastic pressing body is formed integrally with the elastic body. It is possible to improve workability of installation.
A seventh invention is the battery-driven equipment according to the fifth invention, in which the elastic pressing body and the elastic body are separately formed. The elastic body and the elastic pressing body can be made of different materials.
An eighth invention is the battery-driven equipment according to any one of the fifth to seventh inventions, in which the pressing force caused by elastic deformation of the elastic pressing body is larger than the pressing force which is caused by elastic deformation of the feeding terminals and applied to the feeding lands of the battery-driven equipment. When pressing force cannot be sufficiently obtained by elastic deformation of the feeding terminals, pressing force of the feeding lands can be obtained by pressing force caused by elastic deformation of the elastic pressing body.
A ninth invention is the battery-driven equipment according to anyone of the fifth to eighth inventions, in which a rib is formed on the elastic pressing body to protrude between a pair of the feeding terminals. The rib makes it possible to prevent deformation on the feeding terminals of the vibrator, to obtain a pitch of the feeding terminals, and to prevent displacement from the elastic pressing body for pressing the feeding terminals.
A tenth invention is battery-driven equipment according to the ninth invention, in which a locking part is formed on the rib, the locking part protruding to be locked to at least a part of a contact side of the feeding terminals and the lands of the battery-driven equipment. Upon installation to the battery-driven equipment, the locking part of the rib is locked to the feeding terminals to prevent the elastic pressing body from being distorted in a separating direction from the feeding terminals.
An eleventh invention is battery-driven equipment according to the tenth invention, in which the rib is shaped like a letter T. A part crossing the axis of the vibrator of the T-shaped rib serves as a locking part. Upon installation to the battery-driven equipment, the locking part is locked to the feeding terminals to prevent the elastic pressing body from being distorted in a separating direction from the feeding terminals.
As is apparent from the above description, in the battery-driven equipment of the present invention, the feeding terminals of the vibrator and the feeding lands of the battery-driven equipment are electrically connected in a height range in the diameter direction of the vibrator. Hence, the battery-driven equipment can have a slim body.
Further, the feeding terminals are formed to protrude from around outer circumference of the bottom of the case while tilting with respect to the substrate of the battery-driven equipment. Thus, the feeding terminals can have a long spring length in a limited space. Hence, a spring pressure is stabilized and a resonance frequency can be lowered, so that it is possible to increase reliability of electrical connection and to widen a permissible range of variations in dimensions, resulting in preferable productivity.
Moreover, the elastic pressing body is placed on the back of the feeding terminals to combine pressing force caused by elastic deformation of the feeding terminals with pressing force caused by elastic deformation of the elastic pressing body. Thus, it is possible to bring the feeding terminals and the feeding lands into contact with stability and to reduce the thickness while increasing reliability of the battery-driven equipment. Additionally, pressing force which is caused by elastic deformation of the feeding terminals and is applied to feeding lands of the battery-driven equipment is larger than pressing force caused by elastic deformation of the elastic pressing body, so that when pressing force cannot be sufficiently obtained by elastic deformation of the feeding terminals, pressing force of the feeding lands can be obtained by pressing force caused by elastic deformation of the elastic pressing body.
Furthermore, the rib protruding between the feeding terminals is formed on the elastic pressing body, so that the rib makes it is possible to prevent deformation on the feeding terminals of the vibrator and obtain a pitch of the feeding terminals. Moreover, since displacement from the elastic pressing body for pressing the feeding terminals can be prevented, it is possible to prevent short circuit between the feeding terminals and displacement between the feeding terminals and the feeding lands.
Besides, the locking part shaped like a letter T is formed on the rib, so that the locking part is locked to the feeding terminals to prevent the elastic pressing body from being distorted in a separating direction from the feeding terminals, thereby improving workability of installation.
As described above, when the vibrator is installed into the housing of the battery-driven equipment, the body of the battery-driven equipment is reduced in thickness and the vibrator is positively held while improving workability of installation to increase reliability, thereby achieving battery-driven equipment with electrical and mechanical reliability.